Page 46 of Beyond the Hedge Maze

“But—”

“Oliver, don’t worry about it.”

“Don’t you think it’s too soon for us to meet each other’s friends? For whatever…” Oliver stopped mid-sentence. The words he wanted to say slipped away as he tried to put some kind of label on their relationship, if he could even call it a relationship.

But he should have known better, because even if he was only beginning to get to know Jesse again, learning new things about him every day, he was, at heart, that boy he once knew—open and honest.

“No. No, I don’t, cariño. I think it’s ten years too late.”

Chapter 20

Jesse

Present

Jesse brought Oliver’s hand to his lips. “Stop worrying.”

Oliver sat strapped in the passenger seat next to him as they headed east towards London. Their intertwined hands rested on top of the gear stick, and even though they had only been…whatever they were for the past few days, Jesse knew this was it for him. Oliver was it.

He could tell Oliver was sinking into his nerves while he nearly vibrated with anticipation. Over the last few days, they had each exchanged countless stories about their friends. Jesse already felt like he knew Rachel and Isaac, and he was even more excited to connect with them after learning they were from Chicago.

And even if he hadn’t met them yet, he knew he already loved them. For how much they clearly loved Oliver.

“Go over everyone again?” Oliver asked.

Jesse’s friends, even with short notice, had eagerly accepted the invitation. They had heard Jesse talk about Oliver for years, and weren’t passing up on an opportunity to interrogate him in the flesh.

Jesse kissed his hand again. “Tanvi and Michelle are dating. They’ve been together since sixth form. They were their first everything, and they’re still madly in love. Tanvi’s family is from Northern India, and she’s as beautiful as she is intelligent. And she’s one hell of a chef. She’s softhearted and warm, and is going to adore you on sight.”

“Okay, okay. Michelle?”

“English, tiny, every day her hair is a different color, and she’s an absolute powerhouse. She’s blunt, even to the point of being harsh, which is sometimes reflected in her job as a freelance writer. But when she loves you, she loves hard. Don’t be put off if it takes a while for her to come around. She will come around, I promise.”

Oliver sniffed and looked out the window, turned away from Jesse. “And Sean?”

“You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

“I’m not. Tell me.”

When Oliver pouted, his cheek dimpled. Jesse wanted to lean over and kiss it, only refraining because he was driving.

“Sean is my best friend, as I have mentioned. He’s affectionate and loud, and we have never, ever, slept together. Emphasis on the affection. Seriously, he’s probably going to plant one right on you and you should be ready for that.”

Oliver rotated slowly towards him. “No.”

“Yes.”

Under his breath, Oliver muttered, “Fucking Scots…”

Jesse laughed. “That, exactly. It’s going to be fine. They’re dying to meet you.”

The rest of the drive was easy going, conversation punctuated between periods of listening to the radio. They hadn’t originally planned on leaving the estate so early, but when Jesse walked in on Oliver in the study, his head in his hands and nearly in tears over some paperwork, he decided they needed a change of scenery.

The night before, Oliver had finally told Jesse about the roof damage and the cost of hiring a contractor to fix it.

Jesse had done his best to squash down the weighty feeling of responsibility resting on his shoulders. He was determined to help Oliver, and he wanted to do it on Oliver’s terms, but no matter how many different angles he tried, he couldn’t find a path forward by just selling off assets. Especially now that he knew how expensive the roof was going to be. Ultimately, he decided he needed more backup, and there was one person he could always count on to tell him that he was missing something right in front of his face.

But Charlotte wasn’t much help.